Aspiring Bowdoin pre-med students have a new role model to look up do: Dr. Derek "McDreamy" Shepard.
In the October 23 episode of the popular medical drama "Grey's Anatomy," observant viewers might have noticed that Dr. Shepard?played by Lewiston native Patrick Dempsey?was shown wearing a grey Bowdoin T-shirt in the opening scene for exactly two seconds.
The Bowdoin "product placement" on the show came about as the result of a petition signed and submitted by more than 450 students?and President Barry Mills. The document, sent in the spring of 2007, included a list of the College's notable alumni and invited Dempsey's character to "join the more than 1,500 current Bowdoin alumni around the world in the health services and medical professions."
The idea was brought to campus by Cole Harris '74, who has spent years working in the entertainment industry and wanted to spread the good word about Bowdoin.
"I'm ecstatic that Bowdoin got itself on there," said Harris. "As a Bowdoin alum, I think that we all have to serve our college in any way we can."
However, Harris did not see himself as the driving force behind the project. "I give the credit to the students and to the legacy of the College. In the end, because of the students and because of what Bowdoin has stood for in history made it possible," said Harris.
In addition, Harris credited Vice President for Communications and Public Affairs Scott Hood, as well as Mills, whose commitment "has just saturated every corner of Bowdoin College."
In early 2007, Harris placed the student petition in the hands of Amanda Dempsey, the actor's mother, who lives in the area. A year later, the College signed a contract with ABC and sent out a number of clothing options. Bowdoin's debut on the show signifies that Dempsey's character is assumed to be an alumnus of the College.
Shepard is not the only character on the show to be affiliated with an undergraduate college. Other characters have been identified as graduates from schools such as Dartmouth, Stanford, and Tulane.
In an e-mail to the Orient with the subject line "McDreamy mc-dreaming," Hood noted that the episode was the "highest rated program on Thursday night with viewers age 18-34 and had an estimated total audience of 14.21 million viewers," coming in ahead of Game 2 of the World Series.
Though viewers could only see the T-shirt for a few seconds, both Hood and Harris hope that this is just the beginning.
"Let's hope they continue to develop the relationship between the character and Bowdoin," said Hood.